Preliminary study of the helminths of the chicken digestive tract in Somalia

Abstract

An epidemiological survey was carried out on helminths in the digestive tract of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Somalia. One hundred and forty chickens of a local breed and originating from two different types of rearing systems were used: 125 had been free-range chickens taken to a slaughterhouse in Mogadishu, 15 were obtained from an intensive rearing farm. Of the 140 chickens examined 110 were infected (79%): 104 were from free-range flocks and 6 from the intensive-rearing farm. Therefore, 83% of the chickens of the first group and 40% of the second were infected. Differences in prevalence of endoparasites in both management systems were statistically significant (p < 0.01). The identified parasite species were: Ascaridia galli, Subulura suctoria, Raillietina (Raillietina) tetragona, Raillietina (Raillietina) echinobothrida, Raillietina (Skrjabinia) cesticillus, Raillietina (Paroniella) sp., (Raillietina (Raillietina) sp., Raillietina sp., Cotugnia sp. and Mediorhynchus gallinarum. No trematodes were found. The parasites presented various associations.